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Frederick Pabst
Frederick Pabst, often referred to as Captain Frederick Pabst, or simply "Pabst" (March 28, 1836 – January 1, 1904), was a leading brewer, philanthropist, patron of the arts, banker, ship captain, entrepreneur, transit basket and stockman. Biography Frederick Pabst was of Dutch ancestry, though his forefathers for several generations had resided in Germany. Born in Nickolausreith on March 28, 1836, he was brought up on a farm and educated in a local public school. His father was Gottlieb Pabst, a native of Thueringen in Saxony, and his mother was Frederica Nauland Pabst. Frederick Pabst was a self-made man although he did attend a business college for a few months. In 1848 the Pabst family emigrated to the United States of America. After residing in Milwaukee for a few months, they moved to Chicago. There Frederick worked in the National Hotel, Mansion House and New York House. The increasing importance of lake commerce led him to switch employment to that of a cabin-boy aboard the steamship Sam Ward. He rose rapidly through the ranks until he became the Captain of the steamer Huron at the young age of just twenty-three years. For the next few years he commanded various vessels on the Great Lakes. 1862 was a major turning point in his life. He married Marie Best, daughter of Phillip Best who operated his large brewery in Milwaukee. Shortly thereafter Captain Pabst sold his interest in the ship and invested all his savings on the Phillip Best Brewery. This new type of business was a challenge which he met. Within a few years he had mastered all phases of the business. In 1873 Captain Fred Pabst became president. He had his brother-in-law run the South Side Brewery, which had recently been acquired, while the Captain ran the main plant on Juneau Avenue. He traveled widely promoting his product and built it into one of the largest breweries in the nation. In fact he started exporting beer to Europe. In 1875 the brewery pioneered distributing beer in bottles, which soon became a very popular item. In 1885 the decision was made to close the South Side Brewery and concentrate the entire production at the Juneau Avenue site which lacked rail and water facilities. This proved to be a serious handicap in the years to come. 1889 marked another important milestone. The directors of the brewery voted to change the name to the Pabst Brewing Company. Pabst's large income allowed him up support many community projects during the next twelve years. One of the first projects was in 1890 when he gave his financial support to the creation of the Milwaukee and Wauwatosa Rapid Transit Company. He made sure the street car route went through his stock farm on its way to the Village of Wauwatosa. The farm was started when Captain Pabst had Best and Company purchase land in Wauwatosa township in about 1870 for use as a farm for growing hops and to raise prize Percheron horses. The actual area the brewery owned was from 60th Street to 68th Street, from North Avenue down to Milwaukee Avenue except for several lots along the periphery. Captain Pabst and his heirs Gustav and Fred Jr. kept the farm until 1919 when it was sold and developed into one of the first planned subdivisions: the Wauwatosa Highlands. In 1892 Captain Pabst constructed the Pabst Building and St. Charles Hotel in downtown Milwaukee. He continued to engage in projects significant in the development of this area such as being one of the founders of the Wisconsin National Bank. In 1895 he became a patron of the arts by building the Pabst Theater. His Whitefish Bay Resort and Shooting Park provided entertainment and recreation areas. Captain Pabst also had real estate holdings in other places in Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, the eastern United States and even in Europe. He helped build several companies through financial difficulties, for example, he loaned $84,000 to the Milwaukee and Wauwatosa Electric Company in 1894. In fact by the turn of the century Captain Pabst was one of the wealthiest men in America. Thereafter his health began to deteriorate. He suffered from pulmonary edema. Trips to Europe and California did not help. Consultations with leading physicians offered no cure and he died on new years day, 1904. His son Gustav and succeeding generations carried on the brewing tradition in the Pabst family. Category:Persons of Note Category:1836 births Category:1904 deaths Category:Forest Home Cemetery burials